Madam Speaker, our government continues to invest in science, technology and research across the board in economic action plan 2012 to create jobs, grow our economy and improve quality of life for all Canadians.

We now have a brain gain in Canada, and our international partners agree. Yesterday, the National Academies released its report to the U.S. Congress, entitled “Research Universities and the Future of America”.

Can the Minister of State for Science and Technology and the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario please update the House on what the report had to say about Canada?

Gary GoodyearConservativeMinister of State (Science and Technology) (Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario)

Madam Speaker, I was very happy to see this U.S.-based report that noted that the United States of America must, as a priority, be more proactive, both by recruiting students, post-doctorates and scholars and by following the practices of other nations, such as Canada, and that the U.S. should create a program similar to our Canada Research Chairs.

We continue to invest in science and technology, and I want to thank the Prime Minister and my Conservative colleagues as well as the member for Brampton—Springdale for voting yes to science and technology.

Michelle RempelConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment

Madam Speaker, as I said earlier in the House today, our government has an excellent working relationship with Parks Canada employees. We work hard together to continue to protect our country's great natural heritage.

We have protected more parkland than any other government in Canadian history. When it comes to our scientists, Environment Canada scientists have taken over 1,100 media interviews this year. We have published over 624 journal articles. We continue to fund R and D.

However, the foreword of one of the books by my colleague opposite actually talks about how she took media interviews, solely, as opposed to her science team.

Madam Speaker, we know that the Trojan Horse, Bill C-38, will have serious implications for future generations. The Minister of State for Sport now has the discretionary power to stop registered Canadian amateur athletic associations from issuing tax receipts, even though they promote participation in sports and the associated health benefits. We know that our young people are spending less and less time playing sports, but the Conservatives are not taking the situation seriously.

When will the Conservatives come up with a credible plan to promote physical activity among our young people?

Paul CalandraConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage

Madam Speaker, I was very proud last night and over the last 22 hours to stand up 160 times with the best caucus in Parliament, the Conservative caucus, to vote in support of continued funding for our amateur athletes.

We heard in committee not too long ago that the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee were praising this government for the investments it has made in sports.

We will continue to make those investments, despite the fact that the opposition will vote against every single one of them. What I am really excited about is the fact that we have brought back Participaction and the fact that we are bringing the Pan Am Games to Toronto. I am really very excited--

Paul CalandraConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage

Madam Speaker, the member for Kootenay—Columbia has been a tireless advocate for copyright reform because he understands how important it is for creating jobs. He also has some very important criminal justice legislation in front of the House. He is another strong Conservative member.

With respect to copyright, we understand how important it is to unleash the digital economy for the future. It creates jobs and opportunity. We hope that the opposition will support us, as artists and creators do across the country. It is important that we get this legislation passed.

Madam Speaker, we learned today that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will make cuts to facilities working to protect the environment. They will be closing the brand-new, $2 million Mont-Joli laboratory. A laboratory in Sydney, British Columbia, will also be closed, along with the Experimental Lakes Area station, resulting in the loss of valuable expertise.

Why are the Conservatives spending millions of dollars to destroy new facilities dedicated to improving the environment?

Keith AshfieldConservativeMinister of Fisheries and Oceans and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway

Madam Speaker, our priority is science. It is one of the mainstays of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and we will continue to do that.

In terms of the Experimental Lakes Area, research priorities change in scope and location. Government needs to respond to the priorities.

In the case of the Experimental Lakes Area, we recognize the good work it has done in the past, but we no longer see a need for whole-ecosystem manipulation. We look forward to transferring the facility to an organization that has a more appropriate research body.

Over the past few hours, the focus has been on the marathon voting session in the House of Commons. Now, we must direct our focus to the very real consequences that the budget will have not only for citizens, workers, employers and the unemployed, but also for the environment and the regions; all will pay the price for the forced passage of this bill.

My colleague talked about the closure of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' brand-new laboratory at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute in Mont-Joli, which will be sacrificed for the sake of ideology, even though it plays a key role in environmental issues.

How can the Conservative members from Quebec shut their eyes to the damaging consequences that Bill C-38 will have for all Quebeckers?

Christian ParadisConservativeMinister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture)

Madam Speaker, on the contrary, Quebeckers expect economic prosperity and job creation, and our budget includes targeted investments in research and innovation. These investments give us hope for a brighter future. We must not close our eyes. We can find efficiencies in government. That is what we are doing: we are providing high-quality services in an efficient manner.

We must not close our eyes to the things that have to be done. People want to hear about the Plan Nord and responsible resource development. They can complain if they want, but we are going to take action for Quebeckers.

Madam Speaker, the Conservatives are attacking science again. The Minister of the Environment is dumping our Experimental Lakes Area, saying that research will just move west to study oil sands' impact on water. World-renowned scientists such as Dr. David Schindler say that makes no sense scientifically or financially. For example, the Alberta oil sands research program has been doing oil and water research at the ELA since 1976.

What is the real reason the minister is closing the ELA? Is it to drown freshwater science in Canada to avoid inconvenient truths?

Keith AshfieldConservativeMinister of Fisheries and Oceans and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway

Madam Speaker, absolutely not. We are focusing our efforts on new and emerging challenges such as aquatic invasive species and the impact of development in various locations across Canada, just as the member opposite indicated. Departmental scientists and biologists will continue to conduct research on freshwater ecosystems in priority areas.

However, it was also a day when Canadians saw the opposition stand up and vote for 22 hours against a tyrant and against this government's reckless and regressive agenda.

Yesterday, the opposition asked the government to accept the challenge of taking a break in order to have a question period. We lost our opportunity to ask the government the Thursday question. I appreciate the fact that we are being given that opportunity here today. I would therefore like to ask the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons if he is prepared to tell us what the government has planned for next week. Specifically, we would like to know what bills the government plans to spring on us next week, without any real public consultation.

I would also like to point out that today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. It is ironic that Bill C-38 passed yesterday, considering that it will raise the retirement age from 65 to 67. It is a funny coincidence—although I do not find it very funny.

In March, the government introduced a bill on seniors. We had just two and a half hours of debate. Many members of the official opposition want to work on this bill in the House, with the government.

In the spirit of working together with all parties on this very important day, would the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons be willing to put this bill on the orders of the day this afternoon? If he did, and if this bill could be referred to committee this afternoon, we would have a speaker prepared to take part in the debate.

Peter Van LoanConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to start my one-day-late Thursday statement with the Conservatives' deep gratitude to all of the staff and pages of the House of Commons, who were forced to endure a rather long Wednesday sitting. I thank them for that and I apologize that they were subjected to it.

On to the remaining business of the House, this afternoon will we complete third reading debate of Bill C-11, the copyright modernization act. On Monday we will have the third reading debate of Bill C-38, the jobs, growth and long-term prosperity act, now that we are past the opposition's theatrical and ideologically driven delay tactics at report stage, which caused you, Madam Speaker, to have to spend an undue length of time here, in particular during the unfortunate act of slow votes, which really achieved nothing but inconvenience to the staff and pages of the House of Commons.

If we have extra time on Monday, we will resume second reading debate on Bill C-15, the strengthening military justice in the defence of Canada act. For the remainder of the week, I want to see the House dispose of the many bills that are still awaiting our work and attention. To accommodate the House, we have voted to sit into the evenings next week.

I would welcome any co-operation from my counterparts on moving these bills forward efficiently. I would like to start with securing second reading and referral to committee before the fall sitting of the following bills: Bill C-24, the Canada—Panama economic growth and prosperity act; Bill C-28, the financial literacy leader act; Bill C-36, the protecting Canada's seniors act; Bill C-15, the military justice bill that I mentioned moments ago; Bill C-27, the first nations financial transparency act; and Bill S-2, the family homes on reserves and matrimonial interests or rights act.

Of course, this is only the start of my list, but it would be a good message for us to send to Canadians to show that we are actually willing to do our jobs, the jobs they sent us here to do, and actually vote and make decisions on the bills before us. A productive last week of the spring sitting of our hard-working Parliament would reassure Canadians that their parliamentarians are here to work.

To get on in that direction, since today is World Elder Abuse Day, I want to draw attention to our Bill C-36, the protecting Canada's seniors act. I believe this bill to combat elder abuse has the support of all parties. I have heard the suggestion of the opposition whip, but I would like to suggest we go one step further. I know the opposition has shown it likes to talk about things; we actually like to make decisions and get things done on this side of the House. With that in mind, and in recognition of this day, it is appropriate to advance this important bill right now and send it to committee for study. Therefore, I would like to ask for unanimous consent for the following motion:

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I would like to correct the record on a statement I made in question period earlier.

I made a statement referring to my colleague from Etobicoke North and the foreword in her book. It was actually from a book review that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on her book called Hunting the 1918 Flu: One Scientist's Search for a Killer Virus. The quote out of that review was, “At one stage of the work at the exhumation site, [ the member for Etobicoke North] ordered that no one should talk to the media except herself.”

I have the honour, pursuant to section 38 of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, to lay upon the table the report of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012.

This report is deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates.

Shelly GloverConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie respecting its participation at the bureau meeting and the XXXVI ordinary session of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie, held in Dakar, Senegal, from July 4 to 8, 2010.